A New Reality
by EchoInTheSilence
Summary: They say that man plans, and God laughs. A case calls into question one of the few things Zach Nichols had always taken for granted. And maybe, just maybe, that's not altogether a bad thing. (No pairings, just friendship across the board.)
1. No Leads

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine. This story is on an AU track.

**This story is rated T for mention of violence and child abuse. Don't like it, don't read it.**

**This story takes place within the series beginning with ****_Close to Home_****, on a roughly parallel track with ****_Unreasonable Doubt_****. You don't need to have read the earlier stories to understand this one, but I recommend it, as I may very well be merging those tracks in future stories.**

**Chapter 1: No Leads**

"No witnesses this time."

"Well, thank God for that, anyway."

Under any other circumstances, Zach Nichols thought, his partner's reaction to the officer's statement would have been puzzling at least. But here, he understood. Because with this killer, witnesses weren't live people who could tell the detectives what happened. With this killer, witnesses became victims.

They'd caught the first case in this string two months earlier. A woman in her thirties, strangled to death, stripped naked and posed face-up in an isolated area of a city park, a ribbon tied around her neck over the mark from the cord used to strangle her, and a single red rose laid across her breasts. There had been talk of calling in Special Victims, but it had been deemed a Major Case instead when the ME had determined that, as unlikely as it was considering the way the body had been displayed, the victim hadn't been raped.

Two weeks later, as they were still spinning their wheels on that one, the second body had turned up in another park. Everything about that one had been identical, except that the second victim hadn't been alone. Next to her were two other bodies, an older woman and a man also in his thirties, each killed by a blow to the back of the head, still clothed, apparently lying where they had fallen, their eyes mutilated after death.

It had, rather predictably, been Zach who'd figured it out. The old woman and the man had never been the killer's intended targets. They were witnesses, random people unlucky enough to stumble upon the crime scene, killed just to give the killer a clean getaway.

The woman lying in front of him was the fifteenth victim; this was the eighth scene. And they were still spinning their wheels. The killer's habit of murdering witnesses was sickening, but it was also, apparently, effective. Every lead was a dead end, and it didn't help that the parents of the youngest victim, a teenage boy killed for being a witness, had offered a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of their son's killer. Any cop could have told them that such an offer would produce a hundred false leads for every genuine one, and the detectives had been forced to spend an inordinate amount of time screening out false witnesses, and they had yet to get a single genuine tip.

Zach finished his investigation of the body - no useful information, same as all the previous bodies - and stood up, slowly walking the perimeter of the scene in case there was anything to notice.

And then he noticed something.

It was something most people would have missed, but Zach Nichols was not most people. He reached his gloved hand out, capturing that which had caught his eye.

"What is it?" His partner had come up behind him while he was distracted. "You have something?"

"Maybe. Take a look at this." He opened his hand, showing her a few long strands of black hair. "What do you think, Serena? It doesn't seem like this has been here long."

She carefully lifted the strands from his palm. "No, you're right. They're not weather-beaten at all, and the weather hasn't exactly been kind the last few weeks." She pulled a small bag from her pocket and carefully bagged the strands. "You thinking the killer could've left them?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's a coincidence. My first thought was a witness, but assuming the witness was sitting somewhere like here -" without further warning, he swung up into the tree, settling himself at a point about four feet off the ground where the branches split into a V.

"No way the killer wouldn't have seen them," Serena finished. "You planning to come down from there?"

He jumped down easily, landing smoothly on the ground beside her. "It's probably unrelated," he agreed, "but it could be something."

"I hope it is," Serena replied. "If it is, it's the biggest something we've gotten so far."

xxxxxxxxx

Serena slammed the desk phone down so hard it was a wonder she didn't break the unit. Her partner looked up in interest. "What is it now?"

"Even kids are getting in on this false tip business," she grumbled. "You saw there was an elementary school a couple blocks from the park where the murder took place? That was a teacher claiming one of her students came to her and said she'd witnessed it."

"Wow." Zach raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you stayed that calm."

She shrugged. "Well, it's not the teacher's fault. I believe that it happened the way she says it did - a student told her they saw a woman murdered in the park, and she felt like she had to report it. Now, that student, on the other hand...he or she is getting a nice long lecture on wasting the police's time with bogus reports."

He smiled. "Of that I have no doubt."

"Come on," she urged. "If I'm stuck dealing with this mess, so are you."

****This chapter is mostly setup, so if you have no idea how this is connected to the story summary, that's okay, you're not supposed to just yet.****

****Regarding Nichols and Stevens still being in Major Case, I know it's fairly common in fan communities to assume that they both left after Season 9. However, I really like Nichols' character, so I fall into the camp that says they stayed but we just didn't see the cases they worked, kind of like how when they were alternating between pairs we didn't see one team in the alternating team's episode (believable as Season 10 contained less than half as many episodes as the others).****

****Please review.****


	2. The Witness

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 2: The Witness**

Serena shot another scathing look through the glass that divided the principal's private office from the waiting room-type area where they sat with a dozen or so elementary school age children, as if glaring at him might get him to finally hang up his phone and talk to them. "You think he'd put the NYPD ahead of a phone call," she grumbled to her partner. Then she went back to scanning the assembled students, looking for something that might help to determine who was responsible for this colossal waste of time.

Zach was scanning too, trying to get a read on the children. Unfortunately, general reads were unlikely to be of much help here. _All_ the children seemed to be trouble, which made a certain amount of sense, being in a principal's office after all. Although what was the point of sending them down here if no one was going to control them? The kids seemed to be running wild. Even as he watched, one boy who had been practically bouncing off the wall tripped and almost fell on his face.

And then Zach heard a small gasp, almost a whimper of pain. In the next instant, he realized the boy hadn't just tripped, he'd tripped over another child. A child that Zach had somehow, despite his skill, managed to overlook.

The boy hopped back to his feet and scampered off without even apologizing, but Zach's attention was now solely focused on the girl that had been tripped over. She was wearing clothes that were several sizes too big for her, but the detective was used to looking past misleading visuals, and he was sure it wasn't just the size disparity between body and clothes playing with his mind; the girl really was tiny. She couldn't be older than seven or eight, by his reckoning, and at that she'd be small for her age. Her attention was focused on the book she held in her small hands, her only movements the occasional lift of a finger to turn a page. He could almost understand why he'd overlooked her, even as he berated himself for the mistake and even though now he'd noticed her, she had his full attention. She faded into the background, quiet as she was, especially here in the middle of a group of troublemakers. A moment later, he realized what else it was that had been nagging at the back of his mind. The girl had long, black hair. And with that realization, the pieces clicked together with such force that he was momentarily left breathless.

He stood and walked across the room, taking the seat next to her. "It looked like that guy tripped over you pretty hard," he said by way of a conversation starter. "Are you okay?"

She turned her head, and he briefly looked into a huge pair of brown eyes before she broke eye contact to examine him, as if trying to decide what to make of him, her gaze landing on his badge. "Yes, I'm okay, thank you. That happens to me a lot."

"What does?" Zach pressed gently, seeing an opportunity to take the conversation where he needed it to go. "People not realizing you're there?"

She nodded, still studying his badge with an intense level of interest unusual in such a young child. Intrigued, he unclipped it from his jacket. "Here, you want to take a closer look?"

Her eyes widened ever so slightly. "Really?"

"Sure, go ahead." He slipped it into her hand, continuing to speak as she examined it. "You know, a lot of police officers spend a lot of time trying to do that - to be somewhere without anyone realizing, so they can catch people doing bad things. I bet that since people don't always notice you, you've seen people do things they wouldn't do if they knew they were being watched. Haven't you?"

She nodded slowly. "Is that why you're here?" she asked. "Because of the man in the park yesterday?"

And Zach knew his instinct was dead on. "Yes, that's why I'm here." He smiled at her. "What's your name?"

"Andrea. Andrea Marquez."

"I'm Zach. See that woman over there?"

"The other police officer?"

"Yep. That's my partner, Serena. It would really help us if you could tell us what happened with the man in the park. Think you can do that, Andrea?"

"Okay."

A door creaked open and the students suddenly settled down; apparently, the principal had finally finished his call. He turned to Serena. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he said incredibly insincerely. "As to the matter at hand - ah, it looks like your companion's already met the girl."

Momentarily surprised, she looked over her shoulder to see that her partner was, in fact, in the middle of a conversation with a student. On cue, he stood up, the girl trailing in his footsteps.

"Is there somewhere we could speak to her privately?" he asked.

"Conference room's right through here."

As they walked in, the girl tugged at Zach's sleeve, holding something out to him. A moment later, Serena realized it was his badge. "Here. You can have this back."

He smiled and crouched down to her level, gently wrapping his hand around hers and closing her little fingers around the badge. "Tell you what. How about you hold onto that while we talk, and then you can give it back to me, okay?"

She smiled then, a warm smile that seemed to light up the entire room. "Okay."

He stood back up, walking over to the table and sitting down, indicating for her to do the same. Serena took the seat next to her partner as he spoke. "Serena, this is Andrea. She's going to tell us about something she saw yesterday in the park."

Andrea's hand tightened around the badge as she began to speak. "I went to the park to read - I go there a lot after school, as long as it's not raining or really cold or something. I have a favorite tree and everything," she added. "It's shaped like a V so I can sit in it. So I was sitting there and I heard a car. Then I saw it coming; it was going backwards, and it stopped, and a man got out. Then he opened the back and pulled out a lady. She was wiggling around and trying to scream, but she was tied up with these plastic things around her arms and legs and there was something in her mouth. I was scared, I wanted to run away, but I would have had to climb down from the tree and I thought he might see or hear me, so I just curled up as small as I could and tried to hide behind the branches. He pulled out something shiny, it kind of looked like a metal rope, and he wrapped it around her neck, pulling it tight, and she was moving like she was trying to get away, and then she stopped moving, and he kept pulling for a little bit and then stopped and put the thing back in his car. He took the thing out of her mouth and he took out a knife. First he cut off the plastic things she was tied up with, and then he cut off her clothes. Then he moved her so she was lying on her back with her arms and legs spread out. And he took out this ribbon, a big white ribbon, and he put it around her neck and tied it in a bow, and put a red flower on top of her."

Zach heard Serena gasp and realized, with a moment of regret, that he'd once again failed to stop and explain something to her before charging in headlong. She was only now starting to realize what he'd suspected all along; this wasn't another false witness, a story made up for attention or money. As improbable as it was considering this particular killer's MO, they had a genuine living witness.

Andrea was still talking. "Then he just got in his car and drove away. I guess he didn't see me."

"It's good that he didn't," Zach said gently. "It's good that you hid the way you did. That probably saved your life." He felt an odd pang in his heart at the thought of what could very easily have happened if she hadn't been so smart about the situation or so good at hiding herself. "Can you tell me anything about the car?"

"It was green, and it was one of those cars with a funny shape - I mean, most cars are kind of curvy, you know, but this one was kind of shaped like a box with a car front. Oh, and the license plate was different."

"Different how?" he prompted.

"It was yellow and white with black writing. Most of them are white with dark blue writing."

"Jersey plate," Serena murmured.

"Andrea, this is important," Zach continued. "Do you remember any of the letters or numbers in the writing?"

"A2M," she replied immediately. "At the end, it said A2M. I remember because it's my initials with a number two in the middle, and I'm in second grade. Why is that important?" Then she seemed to shrink back a bit. "I'm sorry. I ask too many questions."

"You don't have to say sorry," Zach told her. "It's a good question. I bet that to you, it seems like license plates are just a bunch of random letters and numbers, right?" She nodded, and he smiled. "Well, you're right. That's exactly what they are, but there's a special little trick. No two license plates have the same numbers. Now, there's a special computer system that the police have that has every single license number in a huge list that says who the car with that license plate number belongs to and what the car looks like. So what we're going to do is put the numbers you gave us in the computer and we'll get a list of all the cars with that number, and then we'll see how many of them look like the one you saw. And then - well, this is where we need your help again."

"What do I have to do?"

"For now, come down to our station and work with one of our artists. You tell them what the man looked like, and they can use that to make a picture of him."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Just wait here right now," Serena interjected, "we need to get permission from the principal and your parents."

"They're not my parents," Andrea corrected softly.

"Sorry, what?"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I know I'm not supposed to correct grown-ups. But they're not my real parents. I'm in foster care, and my foster parents get mad when people think I'm their real kid. You and Zach seem really nice, so I didn't want them to get mad at you."

"Well, we appreciate that," Serena said, and Zach could tell she was taken aback. "I'll go make those calls, okay?"

xxxxxxxxx

"A real living witness?" ADA Cutter asked incredulously. "I thought this guy didn't leave witnesses."

"He doesn't," Stevens replied. "Not intentionally. This one managed not to be seen."

"I'm convinced she's telling the truth," Nichols added. "And not just because she knew both our hold-backs. It's her demeanor. There's nothing about her to suggest she's deceptive or attention-seeking, and her story rings true."

"She credible?" Cutter asked. "I know, I know," he added quickly, holding up a hand to forestall Nichols' protests. "You believe her. That's not my point. Will a jury believe her? Does she come off as credible to the average citizen? Is there anything in her history we might have to deal with?"

"I wouldn't say that, exactly," Serena said softly. "Her history is pristine; there's just not a whole lot of it." She tipped her head towards the conference room where Andrea sat with the sketch artist.

Cutter looked through the glass and the shock was evident on his face. "How old is she? Six?"

"Eight, as of last month," Nichols replied a little absently.

"She's very forthright," Serena told Cutter. "Honest. I think a jury will like her."

He nodded. "Okay."

"Can you keep her identity under wraps for now?" Nichols asked. "At least until we make an arrest and get a positive ID? This is a guy who kills witnesses. Hannah's already signed off on offering the family protective custody, but the more layers of protection we can give her, the better."

Cutter nodded again. "I can do one better, I think. I should be able to keep her a secret until I have to turn my witness list over to the defense."

"Hey, Stevens!" the desk sergeant called out. "You've got a couple here to see you!"

"Wow, is it five o'clock already?" She glanced at her watch. "I guess it is. That'll be Andrea's foster parents." She glanced over at her partner. "I'll deal with them. You mind getting the girl?"

"No, I've got it." He walked over and tapped on the conference room door. "Hey, you two almost done? Andrea's foster parents are here."

"You tell me." The artist turned the screen to Andrea. "How's this?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Then I guess we're done."

He took Andrea's tiny hand in his much longer one and helped her to her feet. "I'm afraid I need my badge back, sweetheart." The endearment that slipped from his lips was so out of character as to surprise even him, but it felt right somehow.

"Okay." She immediately handed it over. "I'm sorry I kept it so long."

"Hey, I told you you could. There's nothing to apologize for." He reached into his pocket. "Actually, I have something for you."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Of course. Here."

The little souvenir badge pinned to the black wallet would never be mistaken for the real thing, but it was never meant to be. It was meant as something cops could hand out to the public, especially to children. Despite his protestations that he didn't need them, Zach had recieved a few with his badge number on them, and subsequently buried them at the bottom of his desk drawer. He'd used only two so far; one, several years earlier, for a boy they'd brought in after rescuing him from his kidnapper, and the one he now held out to the little girl.

"I can really keep it?"

"Yep." He gently pushed it into her hand. "And take a look at this." He opened one of the card slots. "I put my business card in here, and on the back I wrote my cell phone number. If you get into any trouble, you can call me, okay?" Again, he felt the odd tug at his heart at the thought of what could happen if this dangerous killer got wind that there was a witness he'd missed, a living person who could identify him.

"Okay."

"Come on."

xxxxxxxxx

"Mr. and Mrs. Barker, I'm Detective Stevens."

"What's the girl done now?" the man asked without preamble.

Serena was taken aback for the second time that day. "Witnessed a murder," she replied, matching the man's bluntness.

"She tell you that?" he pressed.

"As a matter of fact, she did."

"You can't take her seriously on that sort of thing," Mrs. Barker replied. "She's a troubled foster child who'd say anything for attention."

_Are we talking about the same girl?_ Out loud, she said only, "we have reason to believe her story is true."

"It better be," the husband grumbled, "making us drive all the way down here."

"Mr. and Mrs. Barker," Serena said, forcing her voice to stay level, "there's something I need to discuss with you. The murder Andrea witnessed was committed by a very violent multiple murderer, and we believe she may be in danger. I've been authorized to offer you protective custody, and I strongly advise you to consider it."

"You mean like witness protection?" the man said disdainfully. "I don't know about you, Detective Stevens, but I like the life and the identity I have. I'm not leaving all that behind over a bunch of supposition."

"It wouldn't be anything so drastic," she said, feeling her distaste mount. "We'd just move your family to a safe house for the duration of the trial. When it's over -"

"How long would that be?" he interrupted. "Weeks, months? You've got some nerve, Detective, thinking we have nothing better to do than sit around in some safe house, waiting for your every whim. We'll stay in our own home, thank you very much."

"Ah," the wife added, "there's the girl now. Come on, Andrea, let's go."

Serena watched as they walked down the hall with Andrea in tow. The moment they were out of sight, she shook her head and sighed audibly. "Some people shouldn't be parents."

"That's what I keep telling you," her partner replied from behind her.

"I don't mean _you_, Zach," she replied. "First of all, we've been over this. Second of all, even if I bought your argument that you'd be a bad parent, which we both know I don't, you wouldn't even rank compared to these two. They acted like everything having to do with their daughter - excuse me, _foster daughter_ \- was an inconvenience and a burden. You're the one with the psychology degree, is it true that the opposite of love is apathy?"

"I'd have to say yes. That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. I don't get it. It's bad enough to be apathetic about your biological child, but in this case, it's not like Andrea came to them by happenstance. They had to be certified, jump through all kinds of hoops. Why would anyone do that and then turn around and treat that child like a burden?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. He had really hoped that the initial impression he'd gotten, based on Andrea's recantation of the distance they enforced by refusing to be called her parents, had been a poorly-made snap judgment. But based on what Serena was reporting, that impression was dead on. "I take it that's a 'no' on protective custody."

"It's a 'how dare you think we'd lower ourselves to let you dictate our lives', actually." She shook her head. "I honestly couldn't care less what happens to them, but Andrea - I really hope we can get this guy off the street before he figures out he left a witness."

**So, any guesses yet on what basic assumption of Zach's will be questioned? I alluded to it in the chapter, and it's something he mentions casually and repeatedly throughout the two seasons in which he appeared.**

**This chapter references the CI episode **_**Astoria Helen**_**.**

**Please review! I know the last chapter got several hundred reads, but I only got two reviews! And I do actually reply to signed reviews.**


	3. An Unlikely Friendship

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 3: An Unlikely Friendship**

"Does he look familiar to you?"

Zach turned to look over his partner's shoulder at the photo she'd pulled up. "Yeah, he does. Extremely so."

"Vincent Thomas," Serena read out loud. "Age thirty-nine."

They had spent much of the past several days chasing down the lead Andrea had given them; the first real lead they'd had since the start of this nightmare case. They'd already narrowed their list down to cars that fit both the description and the partial plate, and they were now running the registrations against DMV records, looking for anyone who resembled the sketch. They'd already found three possibilities, but for whatever reason, Zach felt sure that this Thomas was the man they were hunting for, and he only had to glance at Serena to see that she did too. Maybe it was just that he looked more like the sketch than the others, or maybe it was something less tangible, but they both felt it. _This is him_.

"Toss him in the lineup," Serena said, her calm voice not betraying what Zach could tell she was feeling. "Let's finish this and find some pictures to fill out the lineup, and then we'll take it to Andrea."

xxxxxxxxx

"That's him."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Zach handed Andrea a pen. "Then can you sign your name on that picture?"

Andrea took the pen, signing the photo with the precision common in young children just learning to write cursive. "Is that it?"

"For right now, but we'll probably need more help later."

"Okay." She smiled at him, that smile that lit up the entire room. "I like helping you."

Zach glanced at the photo, then looked up to the glass where he knew Serena was watching and nodded, knowing she'd take his meaning. _It's him_. Their mutual instinct had been right. Vincent Thomas was their man.

The door opened, and Serena stood in the doorway. Zach stood up and walked over to her.

"I'll take her home," she offered, "and you can get started digging into this guy's background."

He glanced back at Andrea, sitting at the table, and shook his head."No, that's okay. I'll - I'll do it."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, spare myself the busywork," he replied with a grin.

She wasn't buying it and he knew it. It would be different if this was post-case paperwork, but Zach never seemed to mind fact-finding on a suspect. If anything, he enjoyed it, putting all the pieces together, figuring out not only _who_ and _how_ but _why. _But they'd been partners for four years, and she'd learned to trust him. "Okay."

xxxxxxxxx

"So what next?" Andrea asked as Zach walked her into the house. It appeared no one else was home.

"Well, now we're going to arrest this guy and try to put him in jail. But the thing is, Andrea, the police can't put people in jail by themselves."

"Why not?"

"Well, it would give the police too much power. Police are people too; we can make mistakes. We could accidentally arrest someone who turns out not to have done anything wrong. So when this country was created, the people who created it made sure that there was a system so we would have to prove that people who get arrested are actually guilty. So first, you'll have to go to a secret hearing. My friend Mr. Cutter will be there, and he'll ask you some questions about what you saw. That hearing is to make sure there's enough proof to go to trial, because trials aren't secret."

Andrea was nodding. "So even if you were wrong and you found out you were wrong, people would still think the person was bad."

He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his lips. "Exactly," he said, and she grinned back. "So you'll go to the hearing, and you'll tell the people in the room what you saw. Then they'll decide if there's enough evidence to have a trial. If there is, you'll have to tell your story again, but we'll discuss that if and when it happens, okay?"

"Okay."

xxxxxxxxx

"So, our little witness is home safe?"

Zach nodded. "Yep. I explained to her how a grand jury works."

"You explained to an eight-year-old how a grand jury works," Serena repeated.

"She understood," he protested.

"Remind you of anyone?" Serena teased.

"In some ways," Zach replied seriously. "In others, she couldn't be more different than I was at her age."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Well, she's certainly curious the way I was, and she has an unusually mature level of understanding for a second grader - she understood why a secret hearing should precede a public trial without having to be told - and I'm told I was the same way at her age. But I used to ask so many questions I drove people crazy. I never knew when to stop. With Andrea, It's like she _wants_ to ask the question, but she's incredibly tentative, even scared." He shook his head slowly. "I couldn't prove it in court, but I think she's been abused. Verbally, at the very least."

"My god. That poor little girl."

"Nothing we can do," he said sadly. "Unfortunately, my instinct isn't even enough evidence to investigate. And even if it were, verbal and emotional abuse by themselves aren't a crime - whoever made the law clearly didn't realize how damaging those could be. And even if _that_ were different, there's no guarantee that it's the parents she's lived with now. Being a foster child probably means she's moved around a lot."

"Yeah," Serena replied cynically, "but knowing the Barkers, I'd bet it is them."

"I'm not arguing with you, Serena," Zach said gently, "but as many of my captains - and partners - are fond of reminding me, instinct doesn't equal evidence. And speaking of evidence," he added a moment later, "what've we got on Thomas?"

"Thirty-four, recently divorced, one six-year-old son," Serena rattled off, slipping smoothly back into professional mode. "And it was an especially nasty divorce - argued out in court so it's on the record."

"Infidelity?" Zach guessed.

"Big time. As in, one night stands with girls in bars. Repeatedly."

"I take it Mrs. Thomas found out?"

"Oh, yeah. She suspected an affair so she hired a PI to tail him. Got a little more than she bargained for. On the other hand, she also got plenty of ammo for the divorce."

"And what did Thomas have to say?"

"The expected," Serena replied dryly. "It wasn't his fault."

"Of course," he replied in the same tone. "What, she didn't properly satisfy him?"

"That's the part that's new," Serena replied. "He didn't blame _her_. He blamed the other girls, the ones in the bars. He basically said he couldn't be expected to control himself around women in sexy clothes."

"Let me see the case files," Zach said, suddenly excited. "The reports on the victims - the women, the primary victims." She handed him the files, and he flipped through them. "Yes, I thought so. Leisha Danvers was out clubbing with her friends. Maritza Yarrow was heading home from her shift as a cocktail waitress. Chelsea Marshall had been at a bachelorette party. Paula Fraser, Crystal White, Hannah Rivers, Kelly Hansen, Evanna Riley - all of them were in situations before they disappeared that made them likely to be dressed provocatively."

"You're not blaming them," Serena said incredulously.

"Of course not," Zach replied. "Everyone's responsible for their own actions, period, end of sentence. But Thomas places the blame for his infidelity on women in revealing clothing. If these girls were walking around dressed like the women he cheated with, he may feel like he's punishing them."

"And he leaves them naked - to humiliate them?" Serena was beginning to match her partner's excitement.

"Or to make a point about how much of their bodies they were already showing to the world," Zach replied half to himself. "Or for some other reason that makes sense only to him. The ribbon has to fit into that somewhere."

"And the rose - he's mocking dating culture," Serena added. "Because in his world, they're not worthy of it. But then why not rape them?"

"Control," Zach realized. "He blames them, remember? So if he has sex with them - and I have a feeling he'd perceive raping them the same as having sex with them - he's ceding control to them. But by _not _raping them, he feels like he's in control of the situation."

"Works for me," Serena said disgustedly. "Let's go nab this guy before he can teach anyone else his sick lesson."

xxxxxxxxx

"What's the status on Thomas?"

"Lawyered up the second we put the cuffs on," Serena informed her captain. "Shame. I was half looking forward to suiting up for that interview."

Captain Hannah's gaze followed Serena's to the suit she'd hung over the back of her chair, a grin playing at his lips as he took in the short skirt and very low-cut blouse. "I bet he would've enjoyed that."

"Don't know about him," she bantered back, "but I would have. And I bet my partner would have," she added to Zach.

He smiled back, enjoying the tease. There had been a time, early in their partnership, when the teasing had been a little more serious, when there had been some attraction between them. Zach wasn't ashamed to admit that his partner was a beautiful woman, but a few tentative dates had gone nowhere, and his one attempt to kiss her had ended with both of them laughing. After that, they'd settled into a comfortable, close friendship; Serena was, without a doubt, one of the best friends Zach had ever had.

"All right, call Cutter and get this guy down to arraignment," Hannah was saying. "And let's be ready if he needs help prepping the witness."

xxxxxxxxx

"So you'll come get me tomorrow?"

Zach nodded, giving the little girl his hand to help her out of the sedan. "Yep, just be ready at seven-thirty, like we talked about." He looked down at her, at the worn, too-large clothes on her tiny body that strongly resembled what she'd been wearing that first day he met her. In fact, he had never seen her in anything different. "And wear something nice, okay?"

"I don't have anything else," she said quickly, eyes downcast as if she expected him to react in anger. "All my clothes are like this. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, sweetheart." He gently ran a hand over her hair to comfort her, immediately feeling bad for the little girl. Not only had no one provided her with decent clothing, but she'd been conditioned to expect anger when she couldn't meet expectations, even impossible ones. "It isn't your fault, you don't have to apologize. I'll figure something out, okay?"

"Okay." She gave him a little smile as she stepped up onto the porch.

He watched her walk in and shut the door behind her, then he headed back for his car, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked. He pressed a speed dial and held it to his ear.

A female voice answered. "_Hello?_"

"Megan, it's Zach. I need your help."

"Of course. What is it?"

"You know how you were complaining that your cousin keeps sending you hand-me-downs that Margo won't fit into for years?"

"Tell me about it. I mean, I know the difference between four and seven doesn't seem like much, but when it comes to kids' clothes, three years is an eternity. Not to mention, the colors that are good for Cassie aren't remotely the same ones that are good for Margo."

"You still have the latest batch?"

"Just came in last week, I haven't had a chance to drive them down to the resale store yet. Why?"

"I think I can save you a trip."

xxxxxxxxx

A small pitter-patter of feet followed Zach's ring of the doorbell. The inner door was pulled open and the tiny girl stood there. "Hi, Zach! You're early."

"I know. But there's something we need to do before we go. Can I come in?"

Andrea nodded, stepping back to let him in, fixing a questioning gaze on the box in his hand. He set it down. "I need you," he said solemnly, "to help me go through this."

"Okay." She looked like there was more she wanted to ask, but as was typical for Andrea, she kept silent.

He quickly unsealed the box, revealing its contents; an assortment of children's clothes. "Now, it's very important that you wear the right clothes for today, so we need to go through this box and find the perfect outfit."

Andrea had been staring in awe at the clothing. "You mean I can wear some of this?"

He nodded. "Let's take a look, see what we find."

"Wow!" Her dark eyes were huge. "I promise to take good care of it."

"That's good," he replied, a smile pulling at his lips. "It's important to take care of the things that belong to you."

Andrea stared at him, her expression half confusion and half impossible hope. "What - what do you mean?"

Now he smiled full-on. "Well, my friend who gave me these doesn't want them back. And I certainly can't use them." She giggled, and he chuckled too before becoming serious. "But they look like they'd fit you, and from what I've seen you don't have very many clothes."

"I can have them?" she said incredulously. "Like keep them? All of them?"

"You most certainly can."

Her face lit up even more, but when she spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "Thank you." She looked back at the bag and then slowly picked up a light purple dress. "What about this one? Is this perfect?"

"What do you think?"

A smile crossed her face again and she nodded. He nodded and smiled back.

xxxxxxxxx

Serena smiled as she put down the phone. "Hey. Good news."

Her partner sat up. "Thomas?"

"Indicted. Cutter says the Grand Jury came back in record time. He also says Andrea probably sealed the deal. If she can stand up to cross, he thinks she'll win the case for him." She sighed. "I'd still feel better if we had Andrea in protective custody, even if he is locked up without bail."

"So would I," Zach admitted, "but I doubt we'll ever convince the Barkers of that."

**I know this took forever, I'm sorry!**

**Vincent Thomas is an original character to this story, he never appeared on the show.**

**The stuff about Zach and Serena's tentative dating is in there because the writers were kind of hinting at some kind of future relationship between them. I didn't especially like the idea, but I didn't want to completely ignore it either.**

**Please review!**


	4. Crisis

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 4: Crisis**

Zach started a little when the ringing of his cell phone pulled him out of his contemplation of his latest case, echoing off the walls of the otherwise-deserted bullpen. He glanced at the screen just long enough to note that the number was unfamiliar before pressing the button to answer it. "Nichols."

"_Zach?_"

The number might not have been familiar, but the voice was. "Andrea?" It had been a few weeks since the Grand Jury had handed down a nearly unanimous indictment of Vincent Thomas, and judging by the number of motions flying around, it was likely to be several months before they got to trial. He hadn't spoken to the girl since he'd given her the news that her testimony would most likely be needed again, and he couldn't imagine why she was calling him now. "Is something wrong?"

"_You said I could call you if I got in any trouble_," she replied, and he was instantly concerned at how weak she sounded. "_I don't know if this counts, but -_"

"Tell me," he urged gently.

"_Something's wrong with me,_" she said finally.

"Wrong how?"

"_I - I don't know_," she stammered out. "_I thought I was just sick, but I've never felt like this._"

"You're sick?" He couldn't explain why that idea worried and upset him so much - but then, when it came to dealing with Andrea, he was getting used to feelings he didn't expect. "Where are your foster parents?"

"_Out, somewhere, I don't know._"

"They left you home alone while you're sick." That shouldn't have surprised him, he figured.

"_I told Mrs. Barker I didn't feel good, but she told me it was probably just gas or something and to stop whining so much. Only - I don't think it is._" There was that hesitance again, that reluctance to contradict authority_._

"What are you feeling?" Zach knew he was no doctor, but he'd grown up with two MDs in the house and medical texts on the shelves - and the kitchen table - and he thought that if he could get Andrea to describe her symptoms, he might at least be able to get a fix on whether or not it was serious.

"_It's my stomach. It hurts really bad. I've had stomachaches before, but they didn't hurt this much._"

"Have you been throwing up?"

"_Uh huh,_" she replied weakly.

"And you've been sick for how long?"

"_Since, um, since Thursday at about lunchtime._"

"It's Saturday night." He spoke the obvious statement out loud without really being aware of it. "You've been sick for more than two days?"

"_Yes._"

"And it hasn't gotten any better?"

"_No. It's been getting worse the whole time._"

"Andrea, this is important. Tell me exactly what happened each day."

"_Okay. Um, on Thursday, my stomach started hurting. But my foster parents get mad if they have to come pick me up, so I didn't tell anyone. Even when I had to throw up, I just asked to go to the bathroom._" Zach just barely bit back the curse on his lips as she continued. "_I went home after school and just went to sleep. Friday I woke up feeling really cold, only the thermometer by the window said it wasn't that cold out. And my tummy was sort of puffy and it hurt if I touched it too hard._"

"And today?" Zach prompted gently, feeling sick himself as he began mentally matching the symptoms with a likely cause.

"_I woke up feeling like yesterday, but then it started hurting even more. Zach,_" she admitted in a whisper, "_I'm scared._"

"I know." He did know. He could hear it in her voice. "But it's going to be okay. I'm going to be there in a few minutes." Already, he was haphazardly piling up his paperwork with the hand he wasn't using to hold the phone. "I need you to do something for me, okay?"

"_Okay._"

"Go to the front door and unlock it. All the locks, so I can open it from the outside without a key."

He heard shuffling footsteps and a few clicks, and then Andrea's voice came back on the line. "_Okay, I unlocked them._"

"Good. Now go lie down and rest. I'll be there as soon as I can. It's going to be okay."

xxxxxxxxx

Zach parked haphazardly in the Barkers' driveway, not even bothering to take down the flashing red light that had allowed him to speed the otherwise unmarked car through the streets of New York. He sprinted up the front steps and threw the door open. "Andrea?" he called out, his voice echoing in the large entryway. "Andrea?"

"Zach?" a weak voice called back.

He immediately ran towards the source of the voice, which turned out to be a tiny room off the dining room. Andrea lay on a bare mattress on the floor, shivering under a single, thin blanket. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a wooden chest that he thought might have been older than he was.

He dropped to his knees on the floor beside her, pressing a gentle hand to her forehead. She was burning hot to the touch. "Andrea?" he said softly. "Andrea, I'm here now. It's going to be okay."

Her eyes fluttered open. "You came."

"Of course I did. I told you I would, didn't I?" He couldn't help but wonder how many people had broken promises to her in her short life, to make such a young child so skeptical of a promise.

"Are you going to make me better?" she asked.

Tears pricked at his eyes at the hope in her voice. "Oh, Andrea, sweetheart, I would if I could. But you're very sick, you need a doctor, and I'm not one." He gently pushed her sweat-dampened hair back from her face. "I'm going to take you to a hospital, okay?"

"Okay." She pushed back the blanket and started to stand.

It was immediately clear to the detective how much she was struggling to stand. He quickly jumped to his feet and gathered the child up in his arms. She wrapped her own arms trustingly around his neck as he hurried out of the house, not even bothering to shut the door behind him. He placed her in the back seat and buckled her in before racing around to the driver's seat and drove away from the house just as quickly as he'd driven up to it.

xxxxxxxxx

The worry in Zach's eyes almost stopped Serena in her tracks. She knew him well enough to know that he usually cared far more than he let on, but this level of concern, a level almost bordering on fear, was something she'd never seen from him before.

"How is she?" she asked as soon as she was close enough to be heard without shouting.

"In surgery," he replied. "They said she should be okay."

"Surgery? What the hell happened?"

"Ruptured appendix." An emergency room doctor had almost immediately confirmed Zach's suspicions about the girl's condition. "Probably happened about twelve hours ago."

"My God." Serena shook her head in disbelief. "She must've been showing symptoms days ago. How did no one notice?"

"This one's squarely on the foster parents." Zach quickly filled her in on what Andrea had told him about keeping her illness a secret to avoid the Barkers' wrath and being rebuffed when she'd tried to complain.

"My God," she said again. "I know we suspected some form of neglect, but for once, I was really hoping I was wrong."

"Yeah. So was I."

"They're mad as hell, by the way," Serena informed him. "They came home and their front door was wide open. Local precinct was just taking the report when I showed up off your call."

"You, uh, you explained?"

"Yeah. The cops backed off, the Barkers didn't. They're threatening to file a complaint against you."

"Let them," Zach replied dismissively. "They'll have to explain why they left a sick eight-year-old home alone."

"They'll have to explain that anyway," Serena assured him. "After you called me, I called Captain Hannah - I figured it was better he hear it from me than from someone calling in a complaint, and I knew the Barkers probably would. In any case, he's mad as hell too - and not at you, for once." This elicited a small smile from her partner. "He already left a message with ACS and he's, uh, strongly suggested we track down Andrea's caseworker first thing Monday morning."

"So this is our case?" Zach asked hopefully.

"Technically, it's no one's case at the moment," Serena corrected. "The Captain isn't sure if this is a case of criminal conduct - if it starts to look that way, we'll probably have to turn it over to SVU. For the moment, we're ensuring the safety of one of our witnesses."

"What do you mean, _if_?" Zach asked incredulously. "Andrea could have died because they were too self-absorbed to care."

"I'm on your side, Zach," she replied evenly. "But we both know it doesn't always work that way. Good news, though, is that the threshold to remove a child from a home, especially a foster home, is much lower than the standard for criminal behavior. There's a very good chance that we'll be able to get Andrea removed from the Barkers' custody permanently for this mess. If we push it, we might be able to get their foster license revoked too."

Zach nodded slowly. "I still don't get why they'd go so far out of their way to have one. It's so clear they don't care."

"Add it to the list of questions we need to investigate," she replied softly.

He glanced over at her. "Look, Serena, there's nothing we can do here tonight, and it sounds like the situation at the Barkers' is under control for the moment. I know you'd rather be with your daughter than standing in a hospital hallway."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Go home. I'll call you when there's news."

"You're going to stay?"

He shrugged. "I don't have anywhere to be." It was the only reason he could put into words. He couldn't explain that other feeling, the one that compelled him to remain by the child's side, and he was grateful that his partner didn't press for details.

**I know this doesn't seem like much given how long it's taken me, but this chapter was very difficult to get right.**

**Please review.**


	5. Out of Danger

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 5: Out of Danger**

Just the sight of Andrea in her hospital bed was heartbreaking. As small as she was, she looked even smaller in the huge bed, her long black hair splayed out over the pillow. It was a sight Zach hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from. Seeing her like this only emphasized for him how helpless she really was. _And yet, there's a man out there who would have killed her without remorse, and two people who cared so little that they almost let her die._

Her eyelids fluttered a few times, and then she licked her lips and started to sit up. Zach quickly laid a hand across her shoulder to stop her. "Easy, sweetheart. Don't try that yet."

"Okay," she whispered, settling back against the pillows.

"You want some water?"

She gave the tiniest of nods, and he quickly filled a cup from the pitcher on the table and brought the straw to her lips. "Just a few sips, all right? We need to make sure it won't make you throw up."

She complied silently, letting him take the cup after a few mouthfuls without protest. It was enough to break his heart all over again. "I have something for you."

"Really?"

He reached into a plastic bag on the floor and pulled out a life-size stuffed toy squirrel he'd grabbed from the gift shop while waiting for her to come out of surgery. "I thought a little girl who likes to climb trees might like this." He wiggled the fuzzy tail under her chin, eliciting a smile, before tucking it into her arms.

"Thank you," she whispered, hugging it close.

"You're welcome." Truthfully, he hadn't even needed her to thank him; the joy in her eyes was thanks enough. "How do you feel? A real answer," he added belatedly, realizing that with all Andrea had been through, she might well have been conditioned not to say anything that could be interpreted as a complaint.

"Tired," she replied. "And my stomach still hurts - but it hurts in a different way from before."

"It's going to hurt for a few days," he told her gently. "The doctors had to give you an operation." He quickly explained to her, in age-appropriate terms, what had happened to her and that she was still sick and would be for awhile yet, meaning she would have to spend more time in the hospital.

"I'm sorry for making you come get me," she mumbled.

"Don't, Andrea, don't," he said quickly. "If you hadn't, you - you could have died." He swallowed back the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "I am so, so glad you called me when you did. If anything, I just wish you'd called me sooner."

She nodded slowly, and for a moment Zach thought she understood. Then she spoke. "You still need me so you can put the man from the park in jail."

"No!" he replied, surprising himself with his vehemence. "I mean," he added more calmly, "we do, but that's not what I was talking about. I'm glad you're going to be okay because I care about _you_, Andrea. Not about what you can do for me."

Now she looked more confused than ever. "Why?"

"Because - because you're worth it." It was the only answer he knew how to give.

Andrea shook her head. "That's not true."

"Of course it is."

"It can't be," she replied in a near-whisper. "Nobody in my life has ever cared about me."

That was enough to break Zach's heart all over again. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gathered the little girl into his arms, careful of her IV line. "Andrea, sweetheart, I am so sorry to hear that. But that doesn't mean you're not worth caring about. It just means you've had to deal with a lot of people who don't care about anyone but themselves. You're a special girl, Andrea, and just because no one has cared about you before, that doesn't mean that you're not worth caring about."

He felt her burrow her head into his chest and wondered when the last time was that this little girl had been hugged or held, if she had ever been. "It's okay, Andrea," he whispered. "I'm here now, and I care about you. It's okay."

xxxxxxxxx

"Well," Serena muttered, sounding as disgusted as her partner felt, "that's one question answered."

"What?" the caseworker asked.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "It's just that my partner and I had been wondering pretty much since we first met the Barkers why a family would go to all the trouble to take in a child they were just going to neglect."

"That's the razor's edge of offering a stipend to foster parents," the caseworker said bitterly. "Don't get me wrong, I do understand the idea behind it. It's probably a big reason that our shortage of foster homes isn't much worse. But that stipend also attracts the attention of people who see foster children as cash cows."

"Isn't the system supposed to screen out people like that?" Serena pressed.

"The short answer is yes," she replied. "Unfortunately, it only catches some of them. The smart ones, like the Barkers, are able to beat the screening process. And sometimes, those people are the worst."

"No illusions," Zach said softly, and both Serena and the caseworker turned to look at him. "They have no illusions about what they're doing," he explained. "They know that what they're doing is wrong, at least by somebody's standards, or they wouldn't try so hard to hide it. They just don't care at all, not even in some twisted way that makes no sense to anyone else."

"That seems to fit the Barkers," Serena agreed. "Even the first time I met them, it seemed like they cared more about making sure they weren't inconvenienced than they did about Andrea's safety. And now, knowing that they basically saw her as free labor that came with a monthly stipend, it's like they didn't even see her as a person."

"And I missed it all." The caseworker's voice was laced with an anger that was clearly directed primarily at herself. "They knew exactly how to avoid sending up red flags, and I bought their act. I really thought this could be a long-term placement for Andrea. God knows she could use one."

"I got the impression she's had it hard." Andrea's words to him the day before had solidified that for him.

"That's the understatement of the century, Detective."

"Where are her real parents?" Serena asked. "Maybe we could arrange a visit, under the circumstances."

But the caseworker was already shaking her head. "To all intents and purposes, she doesn't have any, and to be honest she's better off that way."

"That bad?" Serena asked, sounding surprised.

"Unfortunately, yes. Talk about people who know that what they're doing is wrong - Linda Marquez tops that list easily. In the foster care system, there's a whole process that happens after a child is removed. Linda's one of the few cases where I wished we could just skip the whole mess and declare the child a ward of the state right off the bat."

"And the father?" Serena asked.

"We don't know, and if Linda knows, she's never said. It's entirely possible she doesn't. Around the time Andrea would've had to be conceived, she was working a blackmail scam on married men - sleeping with them and then making them pay so she wouldn't call their wives. After she gave birth, she told a dozen or more men in the tri-state area that they were the father and demanded they pay her - child support under the table, basically."

"And they wouldn't ask for paternity testing because that would mean admitting to the affairs," Zach commented.

"Exactly. And that's the same reason we were never able to determine which of them was actually the father."

"Is that why you removed Andrea?" Serena asked. "Because her mother was using her as a pawn?"

"If only it was that easy, Detective," the caseworker said sadly. "If that had been all it was, I don't think we would've been able to remove her. No, what got Andrea removed was a domestic violence shelter scam Linda pulled. She'd come into a shelter claiming her boyfriend beat up her daughter and they'd run away because of it, and the programs would give her money to help her get back on their feet. She got caught because an employee at the last place she tried had worked at another shelter she'd conned. After that, it all came out. The abusive boyfriends had never existed; it was Linda who was hurting Andrea, beating her up and then carrying her into a shelter covered in bruises to get sympathy from the staff."

"My God," Serena whispered. Zach's shock was beyond words.

"The worst part was, she was never convicted of any of it. Andrea was barely four, too young to testify, and everything else was just enough supposition that Linda was able to create doubt. She was always very charming - it was one of the things that allowed her to pull off her scams. She batted her eyelashes on the stand and bought herself two hung juries. The DA finally offered her a sweetheart plea bargain just to make the case go away."

"And Andrea had nobody," Zach murmured.

The caseworker nodded sadly. "That about covers it - she's been in seven foster homes in the past four years. And now, if we can't find another home for her in the next few weeks, she'll go from the hospital into a group home."

Zach exchanged a quick look with his partner, who nodded to him, before he spoke. "We may be able to buy you some time."

"How?" she asked eagerly.

"You know why we're involved with Andrea's case." The caseworker nodded, and Zach continued. "We're concerned that the man she's testifying against may be a danger to her. Before all this happened, we offered the Barkers protective custody, but they refused it."

"Like I said," Serena interjected. "They refused to be inconvenienced."

"She still may be in danger." Zach picked up the story again. "If I've understood the rules correctly, since Andrea is no longer in the Barkers' custody, you have the basic rights to make decisions for her."

"So what exactly would happen to her if I signed off on this?"

Zach couldn't stop the small smile that played at his lips. Yes, this woman had made a mistake, but it wasn't because she didn't care. She'd just been taken in by a professional. "We'd move her to a safe house - some kind of apartment or hotel room, we need to investigate what's available. We put a twenty-four-hour guard on her, make sure no one can get to her unless we know who they are and can verify they're not a danger to her."

"She would have to stay there pretty much around the clock," Serena added. "That would most likely need to include a leave of absence from school. The more she's out where someone could see her, the greater the chance that something could happen to her out in the open or she could be followed back to the safe house. But we'd do everything we could to make it easier on her."

The caseworker smiled. "We could probably set her up with some kind of online school program, the same way the district would do if she was sick long-term or something. That way she'd at least be able to start the third grade on schedule."

Serena was nodding. "Okay, that's good. I'll send you the paperwork. In the meantime, we'll place a guard on Andrea at the hospital to make sure no one can get to her."

xxxxxxxxx

Zach had expected some kind of reaction when he told Andrea that she'd have to miss the last few months of the school year, but she just nodded, showing no sign of sadness or disappointment. "Okay."

"You don't like school?" he asked. "A smart girl like you?"

She shrugged. "It's too easy. I get bored all the time."

That made sense, he supposed. He'd remembered enjoying school at that age, in part because of the same intelligence and curiosity he saw in Andrea, but he'd always attended elite private schools and his parents had made sure he was academically stimulated. Andrea hadn't had anyone to look out for her physical health, let alone her academic situation, and he'd seen for himself that her school was overcrowded and lacked the resources to deal with the number of students who attended, let alone to give special attention to one girl, especially one who spent most of her time blending into the background as effectively as Andrea did.

"Besides," she was saying. "I'm always the new kid. Even in the middle of the year sometimes. Everyone else knows each other, and I have to go to a new school every time I move."

"Well," he said with a smile, "I don't know how much doing schoolwork on a computer will change _that_. But maybe it will give you a chance to do some work that's a little more at your level." He spied a book lying open, turned facedown, on the bedside table. "Like this. _The Fairy Rebel_, huh?"

She giggled a little. "I know it seems silly, but it's not like a regular fairy story. At least, I don't think so. I took it out from the school library, but I only read a little bit of it before I got sick."

"Well, maybe you'll have some time now," he suggested, and immediately saw the slightly downcast look that crossed her face. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, "it's just - I tried to read it earlier, but then my head started hurting and all the words were blurry. I guess I have to wait until I'm better to read it."

"I could read it to you," he offered. "If - if you want."

"It's okay," she said quickly. "I can read it to myself when I get better."

"I know you can," he replied, "but that might not be for awhile, and I can't imagine there's much for you to do here. You're probably more bored here than you are in school, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she admitted.

"So, how far did you read so far?"

"Just the first chapter, and I didn't even finish that all the way."

"Then how about I just start at the beginning? It won't take us long to get to the new part."

"Um, okay." Andrea still didn't seem to be able to get past her shock over the fact that Zach was actually going to read to her.

The detective flipped to the first page. "_If you happen to go to a school just outside London, you might find yourself sitting next to a girl called Bindi. If you do..._"

****So yeah, fluff city on this chapter for the most part, although it does give some background on Andrea.****

****I'm trying here to portray the foster care system as well as I can through one character's experience (I did have a friend in high school who had been in foster care, but the rest is mostly research). I've come to see that for the most part, foster parents are decent people trying to help kids, but just as with biological families, there will be some who aren't fit to be parents. The problem is that every bad case is seen as reflecting on the system as a whole. I am also definitively not bashing public schools here - I spent fourteen years in a public school system, and many of the people involved are amazing human beings. But what does happen, especially in schools in low-income areas like New York City, is that the budget keeps getting cut and so teacher/student ratios go up and resources get more and more scarce, which keeps schools from being able to help students as individuals.****

_****The Fairy Rebel ****_****is a real book, one that my best friend and I couldn't get enough of when we were a little older than Andrea is in this story. And no, it's not a typical fairytale at all.****

****Please, please review. I know you're reading this, and I will reply to signed reviews (and sometimes to unsigned ones in the next chapter's AN).****


	6. What Is This?

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 6: What Is This?**

"I'm sorry it's kind of small," Serena apologized to the little girl as they walked into the hotel room. "It's all we have right now."

"It's not that small," she replied. "Not really. It's nice."

Serena couldn't miss the flash of anger across her partner's face, but she knew that now wasn't the time to ask. She filed the question away for later as she set a cell phone down on the bedside table. "This phone has my number and Zach's in it. It also has the number for our Captain; if there's an emergency, you can call him, and he can call whoever's guarding you."

"You only call the Captain in a real emergency," Zach added, "but you can call me or Serena if you need something. Okay?"

"Okay."

"We brought your clothes over from the Barkers' house," Serena told her. "In the dresser here, and there are some snacks in the fridge."

"The computer here is for you too," Zach added. "Your caseworker and a school person will come by a little bit later to show you how to use the online school programs."

"If -" she started a little hesitantly. "If I finish the work I'm supposed to do, can I do more?"

The astonishment on his partner's face only fueled Zach's desire to laugh. "I think," she suggested, "that's a question to ask the school people."

xxxxxxxxx

"A kid who wants to do more schoolwork," Serena commented as they got back into the car. "Now I have seen everything. I was sure she was going to ask if she could start summer break early or something."

"That's what Kira would ask, I take it?" Zach asked as he started the car.

"Almost certainly. And it's not an age thing, either. I remember when Kira was eight; thinking of school as a necessary evil isn't something that's cropped up over the last three years."

"I remember. You mentioned a couple of times that you were having trouble getting her to finish her homework without rushing through it."

"Wow." Serena laughed, shaking her head.

"What?"

"I was just thinking - the year Kira was eight was the year I moved to New York and started working with you. When I think about Kira being eight, it seems like yesterday - hell, it seems like yesterday that she was a toddler. But I feel like I've known you forever. It's so weird to think that those two things happened at about the same time."

"That's human perception of time for you," Zach replied, smiling. "And for what it's worth, I feel like I've known you forever too."

"Her comment about the size of the room - that really hit a nerve with you," Serena commented. "What was that all about?"

"Right, you never saw her room in her last foster home. That house was huge - you saw that, anyway - and her room was a converted closet. That's just so far beyond apathy - it would've been no trouble for them to give her a normal room, especially considering they had to set one up for her to keep the illusion. But their opinion of foster children was so low that they decided she didn't deserve a real room."

Serena sighed heavily. "What we were saying about arresting people based on instinct? It's cases like this that make me wish we could."

"Yeah," Zach added. "Me too."

"What would you have asked, at Andrea's age, about the school?" she asked suddenly. "I know I would've been asking the same as Kira."

"I - I don't know," he said thoughtfully after a few moments. "I enjoyed school, but I was always ready enough for a break - then again, it was never a total break for me, with my parents. I could have a challenge - something new to learn - anytime I wanted. Andrea's barely been getting that at school, let alone anywhere else. She's a smart kid who wants to know more, and she hasn't had that chance."

Serena's phone rang at that moment, forestalling any further conversation. "Stevens. Where? Okay, we're on it." She hung up. "We've got a case."

xxxxxxxxx

The detective tapped on the door as he opened it, not wanting to startle the room's occupant. A pair of dark eyes fixed on him, hesitant for a second, and then he was greeted with a huge smile. "Zach!"

"Hello, Andrea."

"Is - is everything okay?"

"Of course it is. Why would you ask that?"

She seemed taken aback. "If everything's okay, why are you here?"

"To see you," he replied simply. "I thought you might be lonely."

"You don't have to do that," she replied softly. "I'm always alone. I'm used to it."

He smiled sadly. "I know you are. But that doesn't mean you have to be. I brought you something."

"What?"

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a book. "It's from the library so you can't keep it forever, but I thought you'd still like to read it. It's written by the same author as the book we were reading in the hospital."

She took it eagerly, her eyes wide with anticipation. "_The Farthest-Away Mountain_. What's it about?"

"I don't know," Zach replied, smiling. "I've never read it. But there is one way to find out, isn't there?" He held out his hand to take it back from her.

She handedit back more than a little reluctantly, and it tugged at Zach's heart all over again to realize that she expected him to just take away this thing she'd been so excited about, and even more so that she would hand it over without argument when she expected that. He gave her a warm smile and then sat down on one of the beds. "Come here."

She smiled again, that huge, heartwarming smile, as her eyes lit up with joy and surprise. "Really?"

He indicated the spot next to him, and she jumped right up. As he began to read aloud, he was aware of her eyes fixed on him. It warmed his heart more than he could have expected from such a simple thing, and it briefly crossed his mind to wonder if this was what Megan and Serena felt like when they read out loud to their daughters. But he quickly dismissed the idea as ridiculous. _Those are their kids,_ he reminded himself. _Andrea's just someone whose path crossed mine on the job._

xxxxxxxxx

Zach jerked awake suddenly, momentarily disoriented. He realized almost instantly that he wasn't in his own bedroom, but it took him a few moments longer to remember why.

It came back slowly. He'd been on a case for three days straight, only catching a few hours' sleep in the crib throughout the whole thing. When they'd hit a roadblock that wasn't going to be resolved in a few hours, the captain had sent him and Serena home to get a real night's sleep. But instead of going straight home, he'd driven to the hotel to see Andrea.

It was hard to figure out exactly where this pattern had started. But just as he'd been by Andrea's side in the hospital nearly every day, it had become so automatic for him to drive to the hotel after his shift that he'd been halfway there before he'd realized where he was headed. He knew it wouldn't have mattered in any case. Just being away for those three days had made him feel like he was abandoning her. _She's not alone,_ he had kept reminding himself, only to immediately contradict himself. _The officers don't stay with her the way I do. No one does._

But it was more than even that, and he knew it. Andrea had started to relax around him, to let a little more of herself shine through. She had started asking questions without hesitating, stating preferences without looking like she was terrified of his reaction, requesting a specific book or asking for one more chapter - a request he almost always granted. Once in a while she would initiate a hug or ask for one. He was quickly realizing that he'd been right - this girl hadn't had a lot of affection in her life. She always seemed so happy that he would hug her or spend time with her.

He'd read to her and tucked her into bed, as he did so often. It was only afterward that he'd realized his problem - he was beyond exhausted. Driving was out of the question; the risk of falling asleep at the wheel was far too substantial. He'd taken the only option that had seemed available at the time and laid down on the other bed, intending to sleep for a few hours until he was fit to drive himself home. But he didn't think it was his internal sense of time that had woken him.

A glance at the other bed confirmed his suspicions. Andrea was sitting up, her knees hugged to her chest. Even with the lack of light, he could see that she was trembling. He sat up instantly, reaching to switch on the lamp between the beds. "Andrea?"

She raised her head a few inches, and he was struck by the fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," he soothed.

"I woke you up," she mumbled.

"It's okay, sweetheart." He stood, slowly walking over to her, his hand outstretched, waiting to see if she would pull away. When she didn't, he slowly laid it on her head. Her hair was damp with sweat, and he could feel the tremors in her tiny body. "I think you woke yourself up too. What is it?" he pressed. "You have a nightmare?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"You want to talk about it?" he offered.

"No," she said quickly. "It's okay."

He sat down next to her. "Andrea," he began slowly, "if you don't _want_ to talk about it, I understand. Sometimes talking about the nightmare can be as bad as the nightmare itself. But," he continued, "if you _do_ want to talk about it, then I'm here to listen. I don't want you to stop yourself from talking about it just because you think you would be bothering me. It wouldn't bother me at all."

For a few moments, silence reigned, and Zach was left to wonder if he'd said the wrong thing. He was just about to speak again when Andrea suddenly turned and threw herself into his arms.

"It's okay," he whispered, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. "It was just a dream. It's okay."

"She - she's dead," Andrea whispered back, trembling harder as the words left her lips.

"Who is?" he pressed.

"The woman in the park. She's dead."

Zach was momentarily struck speechless. They'd been so worried for Andrea's physical safety, from the killer and later from her foster parents, and yet not one of them had stopped to consider the effect that seeing a person die would have on anyone, let alone a second-grader. "Oh, Andrea, I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, confusion written all over her face. "For what?"

"For not thinking about what you went through." He gently rubbed her back, feeling her relax in his arms. "What you saw is something no one should have to see; it's no wonder you're having nightmares. We should have expected that and been ready to help you."

"It scared me," she admitted.

"I know it did."

"But - I'm glad I did."

It was Zach's turn to be confused. "What? Why?"

"Because it helped you," she replied. "If I didn't see him he'd still be out there killing people."

"Oh, sweetheart." He hugged her even closer. "You have helped us, so much. But I still wish you hadn't had to see that."

She visibly hesitated before she spoke again. "But if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have met you."

Her words took Zach's breath away, in large part because he knew they were true. Until that day at the school, Andrea had belonged to a different world than his own, one that he would almost certainly never have interacted with unless, as in this case, his work brought him there. He couldn't be grateful, as she was, for what she had seen, and yet, he couldn't be sorry for what had come to be as a result of it.

In the end, he chose to leave her comment unremarked upon altogether. "Are you feeling better now?" he asked instead.

She nodded. "Zach?" she asked slowly. "Why are you still here?"

He smiled, the tension broken, and gave her a condensed explanation of the reason he'd chosen to stay in the hotel room. "I'm glad I did," he added. "I'm glad I was here for you."

"So am I," she replied, a smile slowly spreading across her lips.

"You think you can go back to sleep?" he asked her. "If we read another chapter first?"

"Okay."

Whatever had happened that night, it seemed to have brought down another barrier between them. When Zach began to read this time, Andrea didn't just sit next to him. She curled right up against his side. He gently stroked her hair and her back with his right hand in between turning pages. Andrea was asleep before they were five pages in, her head resting against Zach's chest.

He tried to set her down on the bed, but she stirred a little when he did. _She needs to sleep. The last thing I want to do is wake her._ So he drew Andrea close again, setting the book down and turning out the light. Before long, he could feel his own eyes closing.

He had time for just one thought before he too fell asleep. _What on Earth is this?_

**Sorry this took so long. A very complicated chapter to say the least!**

**Just to be clear, this chapter does take place over the course of several weeks. I'm guessing by now, most of you can guess what the summary is hinting at. **

**I took the age of Serena Stevens' daughter, Kira, from a couple of references in season nine that put her at age eight at that time (2010 on the in-universe timeline).**

**Please review!**


	7. Facing the End

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 7: Facing the End**

"Who was that?" Zach asked as his partner slammed the phone down so hard she nearly knocked the entire unit off the table.

"Heather Bryce," Serena said bitterly.

"Andrea's caseworker?" Zach asked, both confused and concerned. "I thought she seemed okay."

"She is," Serena replied, but her tone hadn't softened any. "It's what she told me that's bothering me."

"Why? What did she tell you?" Even as the words left his mouth, he recognized the foreignness of the tone. _Since when does one sentence make me worry so much?_

At any rate, Serena didn't seem to notice, she was so caught up in her own frustration. "I called her last week, after Cutter told us that Thomas' trial was on the calendar for early next month. I figured she should know, since once the trial's over, she's responsible for Andrea again."

Zach was momentarily struck speechless by his partner's matter-of-fact statement. It was something he hadn't thought about recently, not even with the trial date pending. _When this trial is over, so is everything else._ It had been four months now since Andrea had been released from the hospital and placed into protective custody, and Zach had kept his pattern of visiting her almost every night, and he'd even given her a few of his days off. They'd only become closer since that night six weeks in when he'd comforted her after that nightmare. _She's a part of my life now._ It was harder than he ever could have expected to accept the fact that that was likely to change in the near future.

Serena was still taking, oblivious to the extent to which she'd just taken her partner aback. "Still no luck on a foster home. Can you believe that? I mean, she's such a sweet kid."

"Yeah," Zach replied through the fog he was still stuck in. "She is."

"I mean, sure, she's shy. She doesn't really like to be touched or held. But foster parents should care about what the kids need, not what they want from the kids."

"What?" Zach had missed the entire final sentence of his partner's rant. "No, that's not right," he said half to himself. "She does like being held, she wants it, it's just that she doesn't understand how those kinds of interactions work, that and she's afraid -"

His own rambling was cut off by the sudden flash of anger on his partner's face, a reaction so striking that even when his mind was occupied processing what he'd just been told, he couldn't miss it. "What the hell do you know?" she demanded. "She's a little girl, Zach! This isn't just some psychology puzzle for you to play around with!"

"I know that," he replied.

"No!" she yelled back. "You _don't_, and that's your problem. You hold everything at arm's length, and yeah, fine, sometimes it's better not to get emotionally invested. But you can't keep people at a distance and then claim to know everything about them!"

"Serena!" he objected, a little more loudly, though still far short of her volume.

"Just don't. I can't deal with this right now."

xxxxxxxxx

Zach cradled Andrea to him, reading the words on the page aloud without really hearing them. He knew that all of her attention was on the story, but his attention was focused completely on her, on the feeling of holding her close. _I'm going to lose her_, he couldn't help thinking. _In a month or less, I'm going to lose her. I may never see her again_.

_She was never yours to lose, Zach_, another part of his mind reminded him, the part that even after four years always sounded like Danny Ross. It was cold comfort at best. _She's a part of my life now_, the more emotional part of him screamed. _How am I supposed to just give that up?_

The click of a door latch startled him out of his thoughts, and he felt Andrea tense in his arms. "It's okay, sweetheart," he soothed "The only people who have the key to get in are the good guys."

But the figure that walked in surprised him even so. "Serena?"

She hadn't spoken to him since their argument earlier in the day, choosing instead to work across from him in stony silence. Zach hadn't made much of an effort to breach the silence himself; he'd been too busy processing his own feelings to make the effort to initiate a conversation with someone who had made it clear she wasn't interested in speaking with him.

And now, she was here. And not only that, she was staring at him. Staring at Andrea. Seeing the way that she was curled up against him, noticing where his arm was wrapped around her, keeping her close, his fingers running through her hair in a gesture so absent-minded and habitual he'd forgotten about it until Serena's attention had called his own back to it.

"Andrea," he said softly, "you remember my partner, right?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Hi."

"Hi, honey," Serena replied, still sounding dazed. "I, um, I just came out to check if you're okay. What are you doing?"

"Reading," Andrea replied, managing to all at once sound like it was the most obvious answer and like she was terrified that she had it wrong. Zach hugged her tightly with the arm he already had wrapped around her, trying to silently convey that she didn't have to be afraid.

Serena, for her part, picked up on the fear just as clearly as her partner had and glanced down at the book he was holding. "Oh, one of the _Ramona_ books. My daughter loved those when she was your age."

"You have a daughter?" Andrea asked, a little afraid, but Zach's firm arm around her reassured her that everything was okay. "How old is she?"

"Eleven now." Serena sat down on the end of the bed. "Maybe you can meet her sometime."

That didn't elicit the expected reaction. Andrea quickly looked down, but not so quickly that he couldn't see her face fall. "Andrea," Serena pressed, "what's wrong?"

"I'm not going to meet her," Andrea mumbled. "Once the trial is done, I go back to foster care. I won't see you guys again."

Serena immediately noticed two things. The first was that, while Andrea had mentioned both of them, she was looking right at Zach when she said it. And the second was the agonized look that flashed across her partner's face for a moment. "You don't know that," she replied, locking eyes with her partner in hopes that he would understand she was talking to both of them. "Maybe there's a way. We can't go around assuming the worst before we know anything."

"Yeah." Andrea didn't sound convinced. "Maybe."

"It looks like you two have everything under control for the moment," Serena said, unable to shake the sense that she was intruding on something she was never meant to see. "So, um, I'll leave you to it." She locked eyes with Andrea and smiled. "Keep an eye on my partner, okay?"

Andrea grinned back. "Okay."

xxxxxxxxx

Zach wasn't entirely surprised to see a familiar car parked next to his own in the hotel parking lot and an equally familiar figure sitting in the driver's seat. She looked up, seeing him too, and rolled her window down.

"You're still here," he commented.

"I was hoping we could talk for a bit," she replied.

"Sure," he agreed, "just not here. First of all, we don't want to call attention to a protective custody location, and second, I can think of better places for a conversation than a parking lot."

She smiled. "My place is closer than yours, and Kira's with her dad this week."

He smiled back. "Okay."

xxxxxxxxx

"Zach, I'm sorry," Serena said as soon as she closed her front door. "What I said -"

"I get it," he interrupted quickly. "You were upset. It's okay."

"No, it's not," she replied. "I took it out on you, and what's worse, I made it personal." She met his eyes firmly, and he could see the tears that shimmered in hers. "I didn't mean a word of it, Zach."

He shrugged. "If the shoe fits -"

"It _doesn't_," she insisted. "That's just it! Those things I said, those are just things I've heard other people say about you. I've never thought that, not even when I first met you."

"Danny's case." It made sense, he realized as he said it. They might have been at odds more often than not, but it would've been almost impossible to be partnered for four years and not become friends. The man's death had shaken him to his core, and he knew that he had spent the duration of that case wearing his emotions very plainly out in the open; even a newcomer, as Serena had been at the time, couldn't have missed seeing how deeply he was feeling the loss.

She nodded. "But it's more than that now. You're my best friend, Zach, and God knows you've helped me out of my share of tight spots. I of all people know how much you care about absolutely everyone. I still can't believe that those words came out of my mouth."

"I can," he replied softly, surprising her. "And I don't mean that as anything bad, but think about it, Serena. That's what you were angry about right in that moment - people not caring. So when I became a convenient target, you threw all of that at me - not just the anger, but the reasons driving it."

"How can you be so calm about this?" she demanded.

"Because I know how you feel. That anger you vented out at me - I understand. I feel it too. It's okay, Serena," he assured her. "I know you weren't really mad at me, and I'm not mad at you."

"You're nicer than I would be," she said with a laugh. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you've been kind of out of it since I got that call. I didn't notice it at first because I was so wrapped up in what I was feeling, but - Zach, what's going on?"

_Such a simple question, and yet, I don't have anything resembling a simple answer._ He looked up and met her eyes, warm and welcoming and caring, an open invitation to give her a true answer, however complicated it might be.

"I don't know," he said finally. "I've been trying for months to answer that same question, and I can't come up with anything that makes sense."

She crossed the room to him, taking his hand in hers. "Tell me," she encouraged gently. "You don't have to have a conclusion. Just tell me all the pieces and maybe between the two of us we can make them fit together."

He nodded slowly. "I guess - I guess, looking back, it all started that day in the school principal's office while we were waiting for him to get off that interminable phone call, remember that?"

"I remember," she laughed. "I didn't know who I was angrier at, the principal for keeping us waiting or the kid that we thought had made everything up for putting us in that position."

"I saw her," Zach said simply. "Well, more to the point, I almost didn't. I was analyzing everyone in the room and I almost didn't notice she was there. That was the first thing that got my attention. Then I noticed her hair - it matched what we found in the tree - and I realized that if I hadn't seen her, maybe she could've been at that scene without being seen then either."

"I remember," Serena said with a smile. "She had your badge, and you forgot to tell me what was going on."

"I really am sorry for that."

She shrugged it off as easily as he'd shrugged off her words from earlier in the day. "Don't worry about it, Zach. It was no big deal, and it was months ago."

"I've been trying not to do that," he told her. "Really, I have. But that day, it was like all of my thought processes were interrupted all of a sudden, just by looking into that little girl's eyes. I can't explain it, I just know that it's nothing I've ever felt before. I connected with her. That's why I offered to take her home that day before the Grand Jury hearing. I wanted a chance to be around her in a situation where we could just talk without everything hanging over our heads. At that point, I thought I had a handle on what was going on. I liked Andrea, saw a little of myself in her, and I was worried about her home situation - we both were. Simple enough, right?"

"But something happened," she surmised. "Otherwise you wouldn't be back to wondering."

"It was the night she got sick," he said by way of confirmation. "I'd given her my cell number in case of emergency, standard enough. But when she called to say she was sick, my reaction - it was more than I could explain by any of the neat little boxes I'd tried to put everything in. I was worried almost to the point of panic. When she told me what she'd been going through, _I_ felt sick just thinking about it. Before all this, I'd never have imagined that I'd do something like leave the front door wide open. But once I got that call, she was the only thing I could think about, the only thing that mattered."

"I remember being at the hospital with you that day," she said softly. "I remember the look in your eyes. You seemed almost afraid - I thought later that I must've been misreading you."

"You weren't," he replied softly. "I was scared to death that day."

"Oh, Zach." She squeezed his hand. "When you offered to stay so I could go home, that wasn't just about me having Kira, was it?"

He shook his head. "No, that was just - the easiest part to explain. I couldn't leave until I knew, and even after I knew, I stayed because I didn't want her to wake up alone. And then I stayed because I didn't want to leave her alone around the clock while she was recovering - that's when I started reading to her. Damn, Serena, she was so alone. She didn't have anybody who would even come visit her in the hospital besides me."

"Which it sounds like was no insignificant thing," she pointed out. "And then you've kept it up the whole time she's been in the safe house."

"You make it sound like a chore. But it - it's not that at all. As much as I do it for her, I enjoy it too. I enjoy anything that gives me a chance to be near her, and I can't explain why." He drew a long, deep breath. "I know this is a horrible, horrible thing to say, but I don't want this case to be over. I can't imagine not having this - not having _her _in my life anymore."

"That makes two of you. Oh, yeah," she added at Zach's surprised look. "Did you see the look on Andrea's face when she said that thing about going back to foster care and not seeing us anymore? She hates the idea. And it wasn't about not getting to meet my daughter, that was just what opened up the topic."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd bet serious money that she's dreading the end of this trial as much as you are, for the same reason."

"It's not the same," he objected. "She doesn't want to go back to foster care. Considering what she's put up with in those homes, that's not surprising."

"No," Serena insisted, capturing his gaze with her eyes. "It's more than that. It's you. She loves you, Zach. Almost as much as you love her."

"I - what? What do you mean, love her?"

"Exactly what I said. Look, I know this is all unfamiliar territory to you, but all those pieces you've given me - it's somewhere I've been before." She reached out and snagged a nearby photo which depicted her and a then five-year-old Kira sitting together on the snow-covered front lawn of their house in Chicago. "You think it doesn't hurt me sometimes to have to be away from her so much? You don't think I worry myself sick every time she so much as runs a fever?"

"It's not the same," Zach protested. "She's your daughter. Of course you want to spend time with her; of course you worry about her."

"Yes. Because she's my daughter and I love her. It's the second half of that that's important here, Zach. We both know there are parents out there who couldn't care less about their children."

"Like Andrea's mother," he mumbled.

"Exactly. I love Kira because she's my daughter, but the relationship I have with her is based around my love for her. A biological connection doesn't guarantee that in and of itself, and you don't have to have a DNA connection to love someone that way." She reached between them then, gently gripping his shoulder. "You love Andrea, Zach. It's obvious just from the way you look at her, the way you talk about her. Not to mention everything you've done for her. That's not a bad thing."

He didn't answer, staring at the floor. Serena knew him more than well enough to realize there was a problem. "Zach, what is it? Is something wrong?"

"I don't want this," he admitted. "I never did. I didn't want to connect with someone I'm guaranteed to lose, and believe me I know how that sounds. She was never mine to lose to begin with, but -"

But he was cut off by the feel of his partner's arms wrapping around him. "Oh, Zach, I'm sorry."

He welcomed the embrace, slowly raising his hands to return it. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he whispered. "I didn't mean to get tangled up in something that I wouldn't be able to get out of without breaking my own heart. But what could I do? Be one more person in that little girl's life who refused to get involved?"

"No," she whispered back. "We both know you couldn't do that." She hugged him tighter. "You know, what I told Andrea, those weren't just words. Just because she'll be in a foster home instead of a hotel room under NYPD protection doesn't mean we have to lose all contact with her."

He let out a long, slow breath, considering her words. "Maybe," he admitted finally. "But maybe not. Foster parents have a lot of control over the children's lives. If they decide they don't want me to see her, I don't get a vote."

"You can't think like that, Zach," she chided. "I know it's the cop instinct, always prepare for the worst-case scenario, but you can't let that shut out every other option."

"Right," he said almost automatically. With a stranger, she might have thought he wasn't hearing her. But with Zach, she knew better. He was hearing her. He just wasn't sure what to make of her words.

She gently ran her hands over his back. "No matter what happens," she promised, "I'll be here for you."

**There was, believe it or not, going to be more to this chapter, but it's already incredibly long as it is.**

**The blowup between Zach and Serena was just an idea I had, but it seemed to work so I let it come into the story. As for Nichols hearing Ross' voice around certain thoughts, that was just an idea I found amusing, considering the interactions between them in the series.**

**This chapter contains a reference to the two-parter _Loyalty_.**

**Please review!**


	8. Parenthood Material

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 8: Parenthood Material**

Serena shook her head almost sadly as they watched two officers escort the young man into their car. "I usually don't feel sorry for perps," she said softly, "but in this case, it's like he never had a chance."

"Those cases are always the hardest," Zach said from behind her. "You know they're guilty, sometimes of terrible things, but at the same time, you can see that it's not entirely their fault, that someone else has shaped their way of thinking so completely that they're incapable of having a thought not informed by that influence."

"Oh." She turned to look at him. "You've had this kind of case before."

"That obvious?" The look on her face answered his question, and he laughed. "Yeah, there was one in particular, a couple of months before you joined Major Case. I was working it with Eames; this is when Wheeler was on maternity leave before she'd decided she wasn't coming back, and Goren was out on medical, something about being winged by a taxi's mirror while chasing down a suspect and getting a concussion on the way down, I never did get the whole story. Anyway, it was a huge case, a group of anarchists who killed a Wall Street CEO and threatened a lot worse."

"_That_ case?" Serena asked in surprise. "I remember reading about it. That was yours?"

He nodded. "There were three people involved that we could tell; one turned up dead while we were investigating. We finally caught a tiny break and were able to track the other two down to an apartment on the Lower East Side. We got one, an older guy that we were pretty sure was running the show, but the young woman who was working with him managed to evade us. We got him in interrogation but he wasn't talking; fortunately for us, the contents of his apartment were another story. We were able to piece together that the girl was his daughter."

"A daughter he dragged into the middle of all that," Serena said sadly. "I see what you mean. She never had a chance either."

"You know, she wasn't even his biological child," Zach said softly. "He killed her parents and kidnapped her, raised her as his own daughter. I'd just started to put that together when we got the call that she'd taken hostages inside a bank to demand her father's release. She had a bomb wired to herself so that if she was shot, it would blow, making it impossible to take her out the normal way. So I went in to talk to her, brought her father along to discourage her from setting off the bomb while I was inside, and I confronted her with what I'd realized."

"Hell of a bombshell to drop on her."

"Calculated risk." Zach shrugged. "Everything she was doing was based on her loyalty to her father; I wanted to see if I could shake that loyalty. I also needed to get close to her so that if all else failed, I could catch her if she was shot - which, as I recall, they had an inordinate amount of trouble with, owing to the fact that someone was standing in the line of fire."

Serena quickly picked up on what he hadn't said outright. "You're kidding me. Do you realize how stupid that was?"

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Between Eames and Ross, if I didn't know it then, I know it now. But it was the only thing I could think of to do. They'd made up their mind to use lethal force before I ever walked into that bank, they were just waiting for me to be close enough to catch her. But it was like you said, Serena, I didn't hold her entirely responsible. I thought I might actually be able to talk her out, but the only way to hold them off was to get in the way so the sniper couldn't shoot."

"So you told her the truth?" Serena pressed. "What did she say?"

"That's the part that really floored me," he admitted. "I looked her in the eyes and told her that the man who raised her had killed her parents, and she didn't even care. She looked back at me and said _even if that's true, if my father was a banker he deserved to die_. I was so stunned I couldn't think of anything to say."

"That'd be a first."

He couldn't help a smile at her remark, but he continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "That was the moment when I realized it wasn't going to work. He'd brainwashed her so completely that I couldn't get through."

"What did you do?"

"I didn't know what to do. But as I'm standing there, she's looking at a picture I used as proof - a teddy bear we found in the apartment - and she says she hasn't seen it in years. Until then, we'd assumed she'd saved it."

"But if she didn't -" Serena's voice trailed off as she made the same connection that Zach had that day inside the bank. "He did. This man who kidnapped and brainwashed her kept her teddy bear."

"That was one of the most surreal parts of that whole conversation," he told her. "She wasn't just some disciple to him. As he raised her, she had become his daughter. So I turned my focus on him, calling his attention to the danger she was in, and _he_ started trying to convince her to stand down."

"Did it work?"

A pained look crossed Zach's face. "I - I think so, but I'll never be sure. She broke down finally, started to run to her father, and I genuinely think at that point we would've been able to disarm her. But as soon as she moved, the line of fire changed and I wasn't in the way anymore."

"Oh, God." Serena quickly realized what he was saying, and she knew her partner well enough to know how hard that would hit him.

"Yeah," he said softly. "I'm half-amazed that I was able to catch her, I was so stunned."

Serena looked back at the young man they'd arrested that day, a young man whose father had dragged him deep into a world of crime before he'd even been old enough to start kindergarten. "You think his father loved him?"

"I don't know," Zach replied, "but it wouldn't entirely surprise me if he did, or at least thought he did. At least he's still alive. Maybe he'll eventually be able to realize that his father wasn't right."

"Couldn't have been easy," she said gently. "Holding that girl after she died until they could disarm everything."

"It wasn't. I'm just glad Eames was there. I'm sure if you asked her she'd say she didn't do much, but the truth is, she kept me from falling off the edge for a few hours until I could put things right in my head - as right as they ever are," he added, lightening the mood a little and getting a smile out of Serena.

"It's kind of sad, really," she said softly. "How malleable kids are, I mean. I remember when Kira was little, how she seemed to soak up everything she came in contact with. My ex swore once when he dropped and broke a plate, and she repeated the word for two hours before we could get her to stop. It would make it so easy for an adult with less-than-pure motives to warp the child in any way they pleased."

"I think I remember saying something similar that day. Actually, if I'm remembering right, the phrase I used was 'empty vessels'. I said that you get someone like him and..." he shrugged, much as he had that day. "Oops."

He was avoiding something, Serena realized, and it didn't take her long to figure out what it was. "You weren't just talking about him, were you? You brought yourself into it?"

"I might've," he admitted, unable to meet her eyes.

"Zach -"

"It was years ago."

"And God knows you've never said anything like it since," she retorted. It was a familiar argument between them. She cared deeply for her partner and she hated seeing him being so hard on himself. This was the one place where it was clear that the abundance of self-esteem he claimed to have wasn't as solid as he would have liked people to think.

"You really think I'm wrong?"

She was momentarily taken aback. They'd had more than a few brief conversations about his feelings around parenthood, but they'd never gone in depth about it. "Yeah, Zach, I do."

"Why?"

Another question he'd never even come close to asking, though she'd always hoped that he would. "Well, to start with, you're great with kids - you couldn't deny that if you tried."

"I _like_ kids, and they tend to like me. I've never pretended that wasn't the case. That doesn't mean I'm qualified to be a parent."

"I'm just getting started," she countered. "When you care about someone, you'll give them your all and then some. You'll do it for me or Megan without a second's hesitation; I know you'd do it for your own child. And those things you're afraid of? Those aren't destined to happen. If anything, your awareness of them makes them _less_ likely, because you'll actively work to avoid them." She laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "No parent is perfect right out of the gate. We've all made mistakes, and it's not the end of the world. We learn from them, and we move on. And what are you really afraid of? Having a kid who grows up to be like you? I can think of a lot worse fates for a child. You're a good person, Zach Nichols, and don't you forget it."

"You actually _like_ the idea of me as a parent," he pressed.

"Actually, I do. I mean, I'd never tell you that you should have children if you genuinely don't want them, but if all that's holding you back is thinking that you'd be a bad parent..." she trailed off abruptly. "Is there a reason you're asking? Something I should know about?"

"Nothing like what you're thinking," he rushed to assure her, able to read the look on her face. "I've just been thinking a lot lately, that's all."

"About those fears, you mean?"

"Yeah. And since you're the one who's repeatedly insisted that I'm being too hard on myself, I thought you might be able to help me fill in a few blanks."

"Have I?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. And now we should probably head back before the Captain thinks we got lost on the way or something."

She smiled. "Copy that. But if you ever want to talk more about this, my line's always open, okay?"

"Got it."

xxxxxxxxx

"You didn't have to come down here. I would've called."

"We know," Serena assured Heather Bryce. "But we wanted to check in in person. We've gotten to know Andrea pretty well over the past few months."

Heather smiled. ""I know. You've really gone above and beyond for her; don't think I don't know that. Unfortunately, the news isn't good. We still haven't found a foster home for her."

Zach and Serena looked sadly at each other, a look that Heather couldn't miss. "I know," she said, sounding as sad as they felt. "It isn't the first time we've had this problem. We're so short on foster homes as it is, and Andrea's -"

"Special," Zach finished.

Heather nodded in agreement. "She certainly is that. But that also means that she doesn't always fit in with homes and families. It's one of the reasons she's been bounced around so much - that and bad luck. She keeps ending up in situations that just aren't tenable. The Barkers are the most egregious example, but there have been other problems, and the one home that she seemed to be fitting well into had to be broken up when her foster mother had a heart attack."

"What does it take?" Zach asked suddenly. "To become a foster parent?"

She seemed surprised for a moment, but answered anyway. "Well, first the family would have to apply. We'd review the application, and if we think the home sounds suitable and the family clears a background check, we do a home visit. We evaluate a number of factors to determine if we think the person would be suitable." She paused for a moment. "Don't think I don't know we made a big mistake with the Barkers, but they beat a very complicated system. Most people can't."

"I know," he said a little distractedly. "I'm not trying to accuse you of anything. I know that there's no such thing as a system that's impossible to beat; you're only human, mistakes happen and you've been good so far about owning up to them and trying to fix the problems. I just...wondered."

She smiled now. "I'm glad I could help."

"How long does it usually take for a family to get approved?"

"Zach," Serena chided. "Enough with the questions you could find answers to on Google."

"It's okay," Heather assured them. "I'm assuming you just want to know what the chances are that something could come through for Andrea in time. The answer to your question is usually about sixty days, but in some cases we can expedite that if it would make a substantial difference for a child. If a family applied tomorrow who I thought would be a good candidate to take Andrea, I'd do everything in my power to get their application processed before the trial is over."

"Would it have to be multiple people applying?" he pressed. "What about single parents?"

"According to our rules, we're only allowed to take marital status into account insofar as it actually affects the parent's ability to care for the child. I hope you're asking because that expands the pool of potential parents and not because you have a problem with that idea?" For the first time, she was starting to become defensive.

"Oh, no," he quickly assured her. "I have no problem with single parents. Some of the best parents I know are doing it solo."

Heather relaxed. "I didn't think you were the type, but with almost a decade in this job, I've heard it all and from people I never would've expected." Again, she paused for a moment. "I know you're concerned about Andrea, but do you mind if I ask why all the questions? A lot of what you're asking is very specific even for someone with an emotional stake in the situation. Or is this normal for you?" she added. "I see your partner doesn't look surprised."

"It's not that either. I mean, it is normal, but -" he drew a deep breath, steadying himself for the words that came next. "But that's not why I'm asking, and it's not just because I'm worried either. I've been thinking a lot about it lately and...and I want to foster Andrea."

**So, yeah, that's basically what the entire story's been building up to. Yes, I know, we all saw that coming, but it's still fun to finally write it. We'll see everyone's reactions in the next chapter.**

**I know Serena's character didn't really have much to do on the show itself, but it really did seem like she and Zach were well-matched as a pair. I'd like to think that as time goes on their partnership would solidify their friendship, as often happens on the Law and Order series.**

**This chapter references the episode _Revolution._ Eames and Goren aren't expected to make an appearance in this series, but I'll be using some sequels to merge this storyline in with my main SVU/CI series at which point we will see all of these characters interact.**

**Just to make my personal POV clear - I'm definitely with Serena on the "if you really don't want kids, you shouldn't have them" side. I'm not trying to imply that people who say they don't want kids will change their minds, in fact I hate that line of thinking. What always struck me about Nichols, though, is that it never seemed like he didn't want kids so much as that he wasn't confident in his own ability to be a parent; he explicitly talks about his decision not to have children in two episodes (**_**Revolution **_**and **_**Gods &amp; Insects**_**) and in both cases he frames it as something he does for the sake of said hypothetical children. We see on a few occasions that he is in fact good with kids, so that's where this plot bunny hatched from.**

**Please review.**


	9. A New Journey

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 9: A New Journey**

Serena's head snapped around to look at her partner, astonishment plain on her features and mirrored on Heather Bryce's. When the caseworker spoke, Serena was almost surprised to realize that the words hadn't come from her own mouth. "You _what_?"

Zach, for his part, was still trying to slow his breathing and bring his own reactions under control, knowing that with the words he'd just spoken, he'd taken the first step down a path that he wouldn't be able to step off of with any ease. It was one of the most terrifying things he'd ever experienced, and yet, at the same time, the memory of Andrea in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder as he read to her, made him absolutely certain that this was right. "I - I know to you that this must seem like it's coming out of the blue, but I really have been thinking about this for a while." He glanced over to Heather. "You mentioned my 'emotional connection' - well, you're right. Actually, that's an understatement. I've come to - I love her." It was the first time he'd actually confirmed what Serena had pinpointed the week before, but deep down he'd realized as soon as she said it that she was right.

Serena was still staring at him, but her expression was slowly changing from shock to contemplation, remembering that conversation, remembering the conversation they'd had just a few days earlier when he'd asked her for the first time why she had faith in his ability to raise a child. And then, finally, a slow smile spread across her face. "I've seen them together," she told the caseworker. "The depth of the connection between them is clear just from a few minutes' observation. I admit that this caught me off guard, but if Zach is willing, and he clearly is, I think he'd make an excellent parent for her. And I'll say that on the record if you need me to."

"Do you -" Heather stammered, clearly still shocked by the turn of events. "Do you have room to take in a child?" she asked finally.

He nodded. "I have a townhouse - I own it, bought it over twenty years ago, long story. In any case, it's got three spare bedrooms right now - one's a guest room and two are mostly storage, but I can rearrange things, make it work."

His eyes were slightly wide, just enough for Serena to realize how much was going on in his head - he was nervous, clearly, even scared, and it seemed that he'd shocked himself with his question as much as he'd shocked the two of them, and she met his eyes, giving him a smile that she hoped was reassuring. _It's okay, Zach,_ she tried to tell him silently.

Heather was now starting to smile too. "Well, I certainly can't deny that the two of you have taken more of an interest in her than some people whose homes she was actually living in have." She met Zach's eyes as he looked back at her. "You're certain about this?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay," she said slowly. "If you're really serious about this, I'll get you an application before you leave here. Fill it out as soon as you can and get it back to me, and we'll start the ball rolling."

"Okay." Zach still looked a little shocked. "Yeah. I'll get it to you by tomorrow."

xxxxxxxxx

"Haven't I told you to stop springing things on me?"

"I'm sorry," he replied immediately. "I didn't - I didn't exactly plan -"

"Zach." She cut him off, smiling. "I was kidding. I know the whole thing was spur-of-the-moment."

"Oh." Now he looked slightly abashed. "Right."

They were at the car, but instead of getting in, Serena closed the few yards between herself and her partner and gave him a quick hug. "I think this is great," she said softly. "Really, I do. I meant what I said in there - actually, I take that back. What I said in there was an understatement. I've known biological families that aren't as close as you and Andrea clearly are. And you'll be a great father. I know you will."

"Thanks," he whispered. "I - I still can't entirely believe what just happened."

Serena laughed as she stepped back from the embrace. "That's completely normal," she assured him. "New Parent 101, Zach, it always feels a little surreal at first. That's how it felt for me after the first positive pregnancy test with Kira, and more than a few women in my prenatal classes said the same thing.I know it's not exactly comparable, but at the same time it kind of is. Bringing a child into your home, especially if it's your first, is a major life change. It takes time to adjust to the idea."

"At least you _had _time," he said wryly. "We're looking at less than a month before the trial. Add maybe a few more weeks if the jury takes a long time to deliberate, and then she's released from protective custody."

"Hey." She squeezed his arm. "You've got the hard part down. You've already bonded with her. And as for the rest, I'm here for anything you need. I promise."

xxxxxxxxx

"The people call Andrea Marquez."

There was shifting and murmuring in the courtroom as everyone turned to see this witness. Cutter had argued for and obtained an order that prevented Andrea's identity or any information about her from being leaked to the press. All that the general public sitting in the courtroom had known was that there was a witness no one knew much about.

The bailiff opened the doors and there were outright gasps of shock as the spectators got their first look at her and realized that this child was the witness they'd all been waiting for. Every eye was on her as she stepped up into the witness box, clutching the small toy squirrel Zach had given her in both hands.

She and Cutter went through the series of questions and answers they had practiced dozens of times, the same series of questions and answers they'd played out in front of the Grand Jury, and just as she had been in front of the Grand Jury, Andrea was firm on the answers.

The defense attorney got up next, and it was almost funny watching the man try to navigate the complex situation he'd been put in. He had to find some way to poke a hole in Andrea's near-perfect testimony; that testimony was far too damning to his client if it went unchallenged. But at the same time, he was facing a little girl holding a stuffed animal. If he was too harsh, he would be seen as bullying this child who had already charmed the jury. Zach had to admit that he managed to find the right balance, and his cross was solid.

Zach had been concerned that Andrea's fear of upsetting adults might cause problems with the cross-examination. But they had taken care to address that preemptively in the prep sessions once he'd realized it might happen, and it appeared to be working. Andrea was clearly a little intimidated by the situation, but she remained firm on her answers to the questions. _Solid,_ Zach thought, _but not enough to win.__ Not nearly enough._

xxxxxxxxx

"Detectives!"

Zach and Serena both turned to see a couple running after them, and they shared a look of mutual exasperation when they realized who it was: Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, the couple who had lost their young son to Vincent Thomas' brutal spree and who had caused the department so much trouble with their offer of a reward.

"Yes?" Serena asked, forcing her voice to stay level. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"That little girl in the courtroom today," the wife said shakily, dabbing at her eyes, "she's the reason all of this was able to happen, isn't she? She's the reason you caught him."

There was only one answer to that, and Zach and Serena spoke it at the same time. "Yes."

"The reward we offered -" this elicited another exasperated look between the two detectives as Mrs. Harrison kept speaking. "My husband and I both agree, it should go to her. We'd like to speak with her parents -"

Serena was already shaking her head. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. Andrea is a ward of the state, a foster child."

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Harrison replied. "Well, her foster parents, then?"

Now Zach was shaking his head. "I don't think that's a good idea either. The foster system is...it's large and complicated, and it would be too easy for someone to take advantage."

"He's right," the husband chimed in. "Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a lot of temptation even for a family with good intentions." He fell silent for a moment, thinking. "What if we put it into a trust? A trust that can't be touched until she's eighteen?"

"Yes," the wife agreed readily. "Of course. Anything for the child who helped bring our son's killer to justice."

"I'll give you her caseworker's number." In spite of all the aggravation the couple had cost them, he felt himself softening slightly towards them. Even at the height of their frustration, he and Serena had never entirely lost sympathy for the couple who had endured something no parent should ever have to. But in that moment, the fact that they clearly were genuinely trying to do what was best for Andrea did more to counter his negative feelings towards them than anything. "I'm sure she'd be willing to discuss options with you."

xxxxxxxxx

"Zach." When there was no response, Serena reached across and tapped her partner's arm. "Zach."

"Hmm?" He looked up, finally breaking his intense concentration on the papers in front of him. "Serena? What is it?"

She gestured to a point behind his shoulder, and he turned to see Heather Bryce standing there. He immediately jumped to his feet. "I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

She smiled. "That's okay. I know I didn't tell you I was coming."

"You know," Serena chimed in, "I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but if surprise inspections are what you're after, doing them at the house you're concerned about might be more effective."

Heather laughed now. "Well, I was planning to surprise your partner, but not with an inspection." She reached into her briefcase and pulled out an envelope. "I know this is very short notice, but," she held it out to him, "congratulations, Detective Nichols. You're going to be a father."

He took the envelope almost numbly. "I've - I've been approved?"

"You've been approved," she confirmed, smiling.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and then Serena hugged him warmly. "I knew you could do it."

Her touch melted some of the numbness, and he felt tears of pure joy start to slip down his face. "Thank you. Thank you both."

xxxxxxxxx

Andrea looked up expectantly as Zach walked into the room, and the joy he had been feeling all day instantly tripled. _She's my child now. My little girl. _He reached out to her and she ran into his arms.

But even through his own feelings, he couldn't fail to realize that Andrea seemed anything but joyful. She was happy to see him, no question, but there was a cloud of sadness and distress over everything she did. He sat down on the bed, settling her in his lap. "Hey, now, baby girl. What's wrong?"

"It's almost over," she whispered miserably.

And then it clicked. Zach had avoided telling Andrea about his plans to foster her in case they fell through. He couldn't bear to get her hopes up only for her to be disappointed. Caught up in his own happiness, he had momentarily forgotten that as far as she knew, the end of the trial was still something to be dreaded.

He gently cupped her chin in his fingers, turning her face up so he could meet her eyes. "You're right. This part is almost over. But that's not a bad thing. Andrea, I need to ask you an important question, okay?"

"Okay."

"Once this is done, would you like to come live with me?"

Zach still had Andrea's face turned up towards his, and he was able to see the full multitude of emotions that played out across her features. First complete shock, struggling to even comprehend what she'd just heard. Then disbelief, wondering if it could possibly be true. And then a smile crept across her face, forming slowly but unmistakably the bright smile that he'd come to associate so strongly with her. "Really?"

"Really." He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure, but a couple of weeks ago, I applied to be your new foster parent. As soon as the trial is over, you can move in with me."

She threw her arms around his ribcage, holding on tight. "You're right," she whispered. "It's not bad. It'll be the best thing ever."

**Seeing as we already know exactly what Andrea saw in the park, I didn't feel the need to go over her actual testimony, but that is a key piece of the story, which is why I wrote it the way I did.**

**There's one more chapter in this story just to wrap things up, and then we'll be transitioning into the sequel.**

**Please review!**


	10. A Place Called Home

**A New Reality**

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, it's not mine.

**Chapter 10: A Place Called Home**

Zach glanced up at the clock. It was exactly two minutes later than it had been the last time he'd checked.

He'd put in only a half-day at work, leaving at noon to make absolutely sure everything was ready. But now he was starting to wish that he'd put in a few more hours before leaving. Everything was fine, and now he was just watching the minutes tick by one by one, marking what had to be the longest afternoon of his life.

He, Megan, and Serena had spent much of the previous weekend cleaning out what had been a storage room and converting it into a young girl's bedroom, a veritable flurry of activity set off by the news Heather Bryce had delivered on Thursday. It had turned out to be a timely one, as the jury had come back that following Monday with a guilty verdict on all counts that would keep Vincent Thomas locked away for life. And now, barely twenty-four hours after the verdict, Zach was waiting anxiously to do the one thing he had once thought he would never do and officially add a child to his household.

The doorbell rang, and Zach immediately ran to it, pulling it open without even looking to see who it was, because he already knew who would be standing there. And there she was, on his doorstep, a plastic garbage bag in each hand, and for a moment he couldn't help but think about how many times she must have played out this same scenario. And yet, he knew that it was probably not exactly the same, because he doubted that any of those she'd been smiling ear to ear.

He took the bags, setting them on the floor just past the threshold, and then he opened his arms to her. And she ran into them, and he lifted her clear off the ground, holding her tight. "Welcome home, Andrea."

That only caused her to smile even wider, and out on the porch, Heather Bryce was smiling too.

xxxxxxxxx

"Well?" Zach said with a smile."Go on in."

Andrea was standing in the door of her bedroom, just staring. Her eyes roamed over the light purple walls, down to the purple and blue patterned bedspread draped over the double bed and the matching curtains that hung open over the windows, to the large and fluffy blue rugs, and then over to the white-painted dresser and the open closet beside it.

It had been Megan's idea to leave the drawers and the closet open to show what was inside; the two most recent batches of clothes that her cousin had sent her, supplemented by a few new things that Zach had bought at some point during the chaotic weekend.

At his prompting, she stepped forward, her attention still on the contents of the dresser and closet. "All these...are for me?"

"They're certainly not for me," he teased.

"And - the room?"

"You told me you liked purple and blue, so I wanted this to be something you'd like. I didn't put anything up on the walls; I wanted you to be able to pick that out."

"You did all this for me?" she asked incredulously.

"You bet I did," he said affectionately. "This is _your_ room, Andrea. It should be something that you like."

She set the bags down slowly on the floor. Zach knelt down beside them. "How about we unpack these first?" he suggested. "That way you can really feel like you've moved in, and then I can show you around the rest of the house."

xxxxxxxxx

Zach stood in the doorway where Andrea had been frozen just hours earlier. The room was dark now, the curtains drawn, but he wasn't staring at the room as she had been. He was staring at _her,_ watching her as she slept, with all of the awe that she had directed towards the room. _My daughter. She's my daughter now._

"Welcome home, Andrea," he whispered.

**The End**

**So, yeah. Really lighthearted and fluffy compared to most of what I write, but I love it!**

**The chapter title is the title of a song from the musical version of _A Christmas Carol_. I probably would've used it anyway but it seemed especially appropriate given the current season.**

**The explanation for Zach owning a four-bedroom townhouse will be in the sequel. I was going to put it in this chapter, but I couldn't find a way to fit it in cleanly. Also, in case anyone is wondering, I dropped Wheeler from my character list for this story because she didn't come into play the way I had originally planned (she does get a couple of mentions, but not enough in my opinion to put her in the major character list). She will have a role in the sequel.**

**The sequel to this story is titled _Little Girl Lost_. By the time you've finished reading this, the first chapter will be posted.**

**Please review.**


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